A typical device used for bone lengthening consists of a special internal lengthening nail, such as a skeletal kinetic distractor implanted in a cavity formed by the removal of the bone marrow from, for example, a leg bone. This device usually includes two telescopic sections pinned to each end of the broken bone and it is axially extendable, which extension is caused by small oscillations between the two telescopic sections which are mechanically converted to a one-way distraction (axial lengthening). Such a device utilizes the motion of the patient limb, for example, manually or during walking, to cause lengthening of the bone. A main drawback of this device is the lack of control over the lengthening of the bone, which may cause an adverse increase in the bone length.
Another device proposed for bone lengthening is a two-part telescopic orthopedic device which is inserted into a medullary cavity of a fractured bone, with each part of the telescopic device being secured to a respective end of the bone. One of the telescopic sections comprises a ferromagnetic material or permanent magnet, which is actuatable by an external axially directed magnetic field, such that one section may be caused to move axially in relation to the other section upon application or exposure to the magnetic field. One weakness of this device is that it provides for an essentially unidirectional motion, which can provide only an increase in length of the bone, but cannot be used to provide bone compression, i.e., a decrease in the length of the bone.
It would therefore be beneficial to provide a bi-directional bone length adjustment device, apparatus, system and method for using the same which can be installed in connection with a fractured bone and can be controlled to both lengthen and compress the bone to provide either an increase in bone length or a decrease in bone length.